


Clarity

by NRGburst



Category: Terminator (Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, F/F, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:27:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25664356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NRGburst/pseuds/NRGburst
Summary: Grace volunteered because she'd always wanted to be stronger and faster- she hadn't bargained on the sensory enhancements being a pain in the ass.Still, there may be benefits she hadn't thought of either.
Relationships: Grace Harper/Dani Ramos
Comments: 10
Kudos: 41
Collections: Rare Pairs Exchange 2020





	Clarity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tyellas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyellas/gifts).



> _Hold still right before we crash  
>  'Cause we both know how this ends_
> 
>   
> Just wanted to explore Grace's perception of Dani via her enhanced senses, but this ended up rather angsty.

She'd considered it for ages beforehand. Seen the difference a single Augment can make to the survival stats of a company, in just a few minutes of evened odds. Done the research into the various cybernetic implants and how they've improved with field research and use; how long it takes Augments to adjust to their altered bodies.

It's not even really a question- the chance to have the strength and speed to go toe to toe with Terminator units is worth the pain and risk of dying in surgery; the revved metabolism and resulting shortened life span.

So she'd made the decision long before the opportunity to volunteer finally arrived in the form of multiple chest wounds; right after Dani got hit while she moved too late and too slow. If she was getting surgery anyway, she might as well come out of it with significant improvements. Never let shit like that happen again on her watch.

She hadn't expected the haunted way Dani smiled at her after, tears springing up in her eyes like it was the beginning of the end.

* * *

The HUD was the first upgrade she noticed even though it was designed to function unobtrusively in the periphery of her visual field. Even before she regained consciousness, it was active behind her eyelids.

Sure, it's useful to be constantly aware of her heart rate, the time, sites of injury and status of cellular repair and her GPS coordinates _now_ , but it was a lot to process at first: it had scrolled at full pace with no filters, and her previous reflex to block out things --shutting her eyes-- had been rendered obsolete.

Opening them only fed the visual sensors more targets to relay even more information on- a glance at the IV bag hanging above her revealed that it was High Stress TPN; its volume (318 mL left); the molecular composition of its components in descending order of concentration, its source (some pre-Judgment Day medical company) and its expected shelf life, and as awareness filtered in, the rest of her body added to the general cacophony in her senses, because _she hurt_ _literally everywhere_.

Then people were filing into the room, registering warm and pink, and the HUD helpfully supplied their names and positions _(Jodie Timms, 38, Registered Nurse; Doctor Minami Shibata, 44, Augment Surgical Team)_ before the doctor even started to speak. “Good afternoon, Grace. Pleased to see you've regained consciousness. As I'm hoping your HUD has already informed you, I'm Doctor Shibata and I was one of your surgeons. I'd like to perform a few tests, make sure everything is working properly and that your recovery is on track.”

Grace tried to nod but even her head was strapped down and immobilized, and her voice came out as a weak whisper. “... Okay. How long... was I out?”

Dr. Shibata shone a penlight into first one eye and then the other before answering. “We've kept you sedated for a week- even with the thorium reactor accelerating your healing process, there were extensive surgical changes for your body to adjust to- we had to ensure you wouldn't reject the implants out of shock. How's your pain? ”

Grace huffed a whimper, but there was a more pressing question she needed answered. “The... Commander- wounded. How-”

She never finished the question though- just blinked with astonished delight when the HUD indicated that the raspy voice she heard in the hallway (“-can wait, I just need to see her for myself.”) belonged to _Commander Daniella Ramos, 40_ before she walked in a second later. Dani's head was still wrapped in bandages and she was limping while attached to her own IV stand, but obviously whole and alive.

A year later, that same rush of giddy relief hits Grace when her HUD finally identifies her in the distance _(Commander Daniella Ramos, 41)_ , even as it notes the changes to her previous physical parameters- young Dani's hair is long; zooming in reveals that fine laughlines as well as scars are missing.

It's not just that- Dani looks baffled and unafraid --innocent-- even as the Rev-9 raises its gun towards her.

Grace almost wishes she didn't have to be the one to shatter her illusions, but she doesn't hesitate to shoot first.

* * *

It's like having a strange sort of double vision. Dani's her mission, still the only thing that matters. But she's not _her_ yet. She's grieving and helpless and lost. She can't cover her six; can't even drive the truck.

Grace understands why though. She's been looking at her beautiful unbroken world with literally new eyes.

  
  


She'd mostly forgotten about what things had been like before Judgment Day, with grass and trees and people thriving; buildings that are whole and plentiful food, clothing and clean water just pouring out of taps. She'd just been a kid when things like "comfort" and "infrastructure" were crushed by Legion.

This is the world her Dani is trying to bring back. And she's grateful for the reminder, for the chance to see it again.

  
  


* * *

They taught Grace the basic controls over the HUD immediately. With nothing else to do, she practiced zooming the focus in and out, turning it into sleep and offline mode, making connections to electronic devices. Organized how she wanted her feed to look; which information should be prioritized.

The augmented auditory implants weren't nearly as versatile- Grace can turn the sensitivity up and down, but the lowest setting was basically LOUD. 

Being able to hear every tiny noise, from the murmured conversations of the nurses and doctors down the hall, to the gurgle of her guts starting to work again and obnoxious buzzing of lightbulbs was hardly restful, and annoying as fuck when she was supposed to be trying to sleep.

  
  


The doctors had assured her that her brain would eventually learn to tune out extraneous noise. In the meantime, she had to just deal with it, because she was still bound to her bed, under close observation while her skin healed over the subdermal mesh. 

"Has anybody ever gone crazy from the constant noise?" she'd asked, only half joking. 

The nurse hadn't answered either, which was hardly reassuring. They did start sedating her at night though, so she could at least get a chemically induced reprieve. 

She had to admit it was somewhat useful too. She liked being able to listen in on conversations around the ward- one of the patients was into the nurse, and overhearing them flirt was a cute distraction.

Better: the Commander was still getting briefed and making suggestions to pass to her lieutenants, and the intel was a lot more than Grace was usually cleared for: fronts, scouting missions, supply lines, morale. Reports that a downed Dragonfly was a casualty of Legion's newly developed Rev-9 model they desperately need to get specs on.

Dani also asked for updates about her specifically, which made Grace's heart beat faster despite being immobilized. 

  
  


* * *

Post-Augment, they let her eat as soon as she was able to, and she noted with relief that her sense of smell and taste were the same- she was just constantly _ravenous._

  
  


_"Higher metabolism means you'll need to eat more, more often. Pretty easy to both overheat and undereat now, but your HUD should let you know before anything goes critical.”_

  
  


Dani bringing her meals over so they could eat together still surprised her though.

She'd always been careful to maintain a kind of friendly distance, which Grace had always assumed was 1. because of her giant crush on her as a teenager and 2. because she was her commanding officer. Even if her eyes had lingered with obvious interest and her cheeks flushed while they talked, she'd never acted on it.

  
  


  
  


Not that Grace was complaining that Dani was flirting with her at last. But she noticed, so she asked.

  
  


  
  


Dani had gone quiet, giving her that haunted look again. “I don't want to be sorry either,” she said finally, “that's the whole thing about last chances.”

  
  


  
  


And Grace had finally understood.

  
  


  
  


* * *

  
  


  
  


It took so long for her skin to heal that Grace thought she was going to go out of her skull- they only had a year or so until that Rev-9 was sent back, so she had two priorities:

  
  


1\. get as proficient at using all her enhancements as possible so she could save Dani despite the shitty odds.

2\. make the absolute most of the time they had left.

This, of course, included lots of time spent in bed. And for that they needed to be able to touch each other thoroughly. 

  
  


  
Which made her regret becoming an Augment. Which was ridiculous because that was exactly what had forced Dani out of her holding pattern.

  
  


And it had felt so good to finally kiss her, hold her, run her hands over her. Feel her shudder with pleasure; know with every overloud gasp of her name how good she made Dani feel.

It's actually strange, touching her from the past without being able to lean in intimately; put her hand around her waist. She has to keep reminding herself to keep her hands off.

She's a different person. Dani had said to look at it like she was a doppelganger; a twin.

She doesn't expect to go out with that Dani straddling her; her hand inside her body the wrong way, but it's oddly comforting to be touching her somehow. 

And she really isn't sorry. Not at all.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> ETA: Made an edit for this fic [here!](https://nrgburst.tumblr.com/post/626674318611464192/clarity-m-canonical-character-death-grace-x)


End file.
